Clint Dempsey proved once again why he was so popular in the Premier League as he netted a crucial goal in USA's 2-2 draw against Portugal.
The former Tottenham and Fulham striker scored the fifth fastest goal in World Cup history in USA's opening group match against Ghana and he was at it again as his side caused one of the many upsets at this summer's tournament. But it didn't start well for USA as a sliced clearance from Geoff Cameron fell kindly for Nani to score from close range after just five minutes.
It looked like Portugal were going to well and truly put the disappointment of the 4-0 drubbing by Germany out of their system. Nani almost added a second for the favourites but his effort cannoned back of a post before substitute Eder saw his follow-up superbly pushed over by Tim Howard. The save from the Everton goalkeeper seems to get better on each viewing and is arguably one of the best saves of the tournament to date. It was a crucial one as well as it prevented Portugal from doubling their lead and kept USA in the match.
From goalkeeping heroics to immense defending in the second half as Michael Bradley's effort was superbly blocked on the line by Ricardo Costa.
If you thought that was good, it was soon rivalled by some magic in attack at the other end. Jermaine Jones beat his man before unleashing a thunderbolt from outside the box, giving Portugal goalkeeper Beto no chance. With 26 minutes on the clock, it was game on and if Portugal weren't careful they were going to be in trouble.
Portugal paid the price as Dempsey got his body in the right place to guide the ball in from close range to put USA in dreamland and within nine minutes of a memorable win. But Jurgen Klinsmann's men couldn't quite hang on long enough.
Cristiano Ronaldo had failed to light up the World Cup as expected so far but it was still his sublime cross that set up Silvestre Varela to head home the equaliser.
It would've been tough for USA to take, dropping two points so late on, but they can still be mighty proud of their efforts. Germany and Portugal were clear favourites to get out of Group G but, with just one round of matches left to play, the Americans sit proudly in second place and on course for qualification.
USA end the group with arguably their toughest match as Klinsmann will take his side to face the country he made over 100 caps for. A point against Germany would be enough to see USA qualify, but Varela's goal could yet prove decisive for Portugal.
If Portugal beat Ghana and USA fail to beat Germany it will come down to goal difference. If this World Cup has taught us anything so far it is that nothing is certain! Expected the unexpected! So let's just wait and see how this one pans out.
From one of the better games of the tournament to one of the worst. The day may have ended with top quality drama but it certainly didn't start that way.
Belgium had been considered a dark horse for the tournament and ones to watch out for. After two unconvincing performances they have not quite lived up to their billing, although with six points out of six they are still getting the job done successfully! It may not be the great football we were expecting from the Belgians but they are doing what counts and getting the points.
Both sides lacked ideas in what looked set to be a tedious goalless draw, and tedious is putting it kindly! Russia had a penalty appeal turned down before missing the best chance of a dull first half. Alexander Kokorin had time and space in the box but headed horrible wide.
At one point the camera showed a fan appearing to have a brief snooze and given how the game was going it was hardly surprising. It didn't get much better, although Belgium did come close when substitute Kevin Mirallas hit a post with a free-kick.
But the game finally did get a goal to wake up the fans, although it arrived with just two minutes remaining on the clock following more tactical genius from Belgium boss Marc Wilmots.
Both of Belgium's goals in their opening match came from substitutes and it happened again in Rio. Wilmots sent on Divock Origi shortly before the hour mark and the 19-year-old made a decisive impact when he fired home from Eden Hazard's cut back.
Belgium were not at their best but Wilmots still guided them to the right result and into the knockout stages with a game to spare.
But Russia boss Fabio Capello has a lot more work to do as his side's chances of progressing hinge on their final group match against Algeria. Algeria remain in the driving seat and anything other than a win for Russia will see Capello's men exit the tournament.
Russia's chances of progressing hinge on their final round group match against Algeria, while bottom of the group South Korea could still progress. But if South Korea are to progress they would need to beat Belgium by a healthy margin and hope, either, Russia and Algeria draw or Russia only win by a small margin! I love this stage of the competition with so many permutations and working out what may or may not happen. It is just a shame none of them involve England!
While Russia and South Korea still have a chance, Algeria have the destiny of who finishes second in their own hands following their 4-2 win over their Asian opponents.
Two goals in as many minutes put Algeria in control of the six-goal thriller in Porto Alegre. Islam Slimani got between two defenders to latch onto a long ball and flick the ball beyond Jung Sung-ryong in the South Korea goal. Rafik Halliche powered home a header from Abdelmoumene Djabou's corner soon after before provider turned scorer as Djabou side-footed in.
South Korea gave themselves a glimmer of hope within five minutes of the restart when Son Heung-min regained the loose ball, after it had come off his back, and shot through the legs of Algeria goalkeeper Rais M'Bolhi. The Asian side almost reduced the deficit further but Ki Sung-yueng's long-range effort was pushed over the bar by M'Bolhi.
That miss proved costly as Yacine Brahimi increased Algeria's advantage with a fourth goal following a neat one-two with Sofiane Feghouli after 62 minutes.
South Korea pulled one back when Koo Ja-cheol scored from close range 10 minutes later but it was too little too late for the Asian side.
That ended the second round of matches as the competition reaches its make or break stage for most of the sides, unlike our beloved England, and holders Spain, who have already been eliminated with a game to spare.
If the third round of matches is as good as the first two we are in for a treat. England may not be in the competition any more, apart from a dead rubber clash against Costa Rica, but there are still plenty more thrills and stills to come in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Let the drama continue!
Come on the underdogs!
Monday, 23 June 2014
Sunday, 22 June 2014
Ghana run Germany Klose
Miroslav Klose became the joint-record goalscorer in World Cup history as he helped rescue a point for Germany in a 2-2 draw against Ghana.
It was expected to be a routine win for Germany and the scoreline seemed to be going as per the script when Mario Gotze headed onto his knee to score from Thomas Muller's cross after 51 minutes.
Ghana, who endeared themselves to the neutrals by battling their way to the quarter finals in 2010, hit back soon after with two goals in nine minutes. Harrison Afful crossed for Andre Ayew to head home his second goal in two games. Sulley Muntari then pounced on a loose ball before releasing Asamoah Gyan the coolly slot the ball beyond Manuel Neuer in the Germany goal. The underdogs were in front and seemed to be more than holding their own in Fortaleza!
Klose had only been on the field two minutes when he got onto the end of Benedikt Howedes' header to prod the ball in from close range and write his name into the tournament's record books with his 15th World Cup goal. The striker also became only the third player in World Cup history to score in four different World Cups.
The Lazio man had a chance to snatch victory for Germany and to overtake Brazil's Ronaldo in the all-time goalscoring charts, but he dragged his effort wide. The spoils were shared, with Germany now top of the group and Ghana keeping alive their chances of progressing in Group G.
It was a real shame for this to be one of the few games I missed as, from what I'd been told and after seeing the highlights, this seemed like another truly great match. This World Cup has been immense with plenty of shocks and drama, and could arguably be the greatest World Cup of my lifetime, but England's early exit taints that slightly.
Although there was no shock with who the points went to in the next match, it was hugely surprising for Argentina to only beat Iran 1-0 and even more so that it took them until stoppage time to seal the win.
Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest player in the world, often impresses with his performances for Barcelona but some have previously questioned how he has done on the international stage. With two goals in two games in this summer's tournament maybe, just maybe, that is changing.
Iran came close to causing one of the shocks of the tournament and had penalty appeals turned down, with Ashkan Dejagah convinced he had been fouled in the box by Pablo Zabaleta. Dejagah had another chance to open the scoring but his header was superbly tipped over the bar by Sergio Romero. Romero had to be alert again to deny Reza Ghoochannejhad with a diving save as Iran pushed for a winner.
Iran kept more clean sheets in qualifying than any other team at the 2014 World Cup but to be keeping out one of the tournament favourites was even more to be proud of from Carlos Queiroz's men.
Just when the underdogs thought they had pulled off arguably the shock of the tournament, Messi curled in a sublime effort from outside the box to break Iranian hearts in second-half stoppage time. It was a cruel blow for Iran but they are not out of the tournament yet. If Queiroz's men can beat World Cup debutants Bosnia-Herzegovina in their final group game they could progress on goal difference, if Argentina get victory by enough goals against Nigeria.
Nigeria kept their World Cup hopes alive with a 1-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina. Bosnia-Herzegovina were keen to impress in their first ever World Cup and were unlucky not to have taken the lead when Miralem Pjanic set up Edin Dzeko to score, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. Replays suggest the Manchester City striker was clearly onside so Bosnia-Herzegovina would've felt very hard done by. Dzeko had another chance to break the deadlock, only to be denied by Nigeria goalkeeper Victor Enyeama.
To make matters worse their African opponents then took the lead. Emmanuel Emenike powered past his defender before setting up Peter Odemwingie to tap the ball beyond Asmir Begovic in the Bosnia goal. At least the two of them will be back sharing jokes later this summer when they return to training with Stoke!
Begovic produced further saves to keep his side in the game, but Bosnia couldn't make their chances count in their bid to find an equaliser. Dzeko headed straight at Enyeama before seeing another effort come off the goalkeeper's legs and onto a post. It really wasn't Dzeko's night!
Although England still have one game left to play, other sides are already starting to take focus for Three Lions fans. Whilst, we'd love our beloved nation to give us at least something to cheer about in the final game, we must move on! It is hard to know who is the underdog in our next game. We should be the favourites but, judging by the tournament so far, maybe we are in fact the underdogs against Costa Rica.
Despite our disappointment, it is still refreshing to see the likes of Costa Rica and Ghana causing upsets and from a neutral perspective this is still a great tournament. It would be rather fitting if an underdog was to win the competition but Brazil and Argentina are surely still the favourites, with Germany, Holland and France not too far behind.
Let the drama continue!
Come on the underdogs!
It was expected to be a routine win for Germany and the scoreline seemed to be going as per the script when Mario Gotze headed onto his knee to score from Thomas Muller's cross after 51 minutes.
Ghana, who endeared themselves to the neutrals by battling their way to the quarter finals in 2010, hit back soon after with two goals in nine minutes. Harrison Afful crossed for Andre Ayew to head home his second goal in two games. Sulley Muntari then pounced on a loose ball before releasing Asamoah Gyan the coolly slot the ball beyond Manuel Neuer in the Germany goal. The underdogs were in front and seemed to be more than holding their own in Fortaleza!
Klose had only been on the field two minutes when he got onto the end of Benedikt Howedes' header to prod the ball in from close range and write his name into the tournament's record books with his 15th World Cup goal. The striker also became only the third player in World Cup history to score in four different World Cups.
The Lazio man had a chance to snatch victory for Germany and to overtake Brazil's Ronaldo in the all-time goalscoring charts, but he dragged his effort wide. The spoils were shared, with Germany now top of the group and Ghana keeping alive their chances of progressing in Group G.
It was a real shame for this to be one of the few games I missed as, from what I'd been told and after seeing the highlights, this seemed like another truly great match. This World Cup has been immense with plenty of shocks and drama, and could arguably be the greatest World Cup of my lifetime, but England's early exit taints that slightly.
Although there was no shock with who the points went to in the next match, it was hugely surprising for Argentina to only beat Iran 1-0 and even more so that it took them until stoppage time to seal the win.
Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest player in the world, often impresses with his performances for Barcelona but some have previously questioned how he has done on the international stage. With two goals in two games in this summer's tournament maybe, just maybe, that is changing.
Iran came close to causing one of the shocks of the tournament and had penalty appeals turned down, with Ashkan Dejagah convinced he had been fouled in the box by Pablo Zabaleta. Dejagah had another chance to open the scoring but his header was superbly tipped over the bar by Sergio Romero. Romero had to be alert again to deny Reza Ghoochannejhad with a diving save as Iran pushed for a winner.
Iran kept more clean sheets in qualifying than any other team at the 2014 World Cup but to be keeping out one of the tournament favourites was even more to be proud of from Carlos Queiroz's men.
Just when the underdogs thought they had pulled off arguably the shock of the tournament, Messi curled in a sublime effort from outside the box to break Iranian hearts in second-half stoppage time. It was a cruel blow for Iran but they are not out of the tournament yet. If Queiroz's men can beat World Cup debutants Bosnia-Herzegovina in their final group game they could progress on goal difference, if Argentina get victory by enough goals against Nigeria.
Nigeria kept their World Cup hopes alive with a 1-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina. Bosnia-Herzegovina were keen to impress in their first ever World Cup and were unlucky not to have taken the lead when Miralem Pjanic set up Edin Dzeko to score, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. Replays suggest the Manchester City striker was clearly onside so Bosnia-Herzegovina would've felt very hard done by. Dzeko had another chance to break the deadlock, only to be denied by Nigeria goalkeeper Victor Enyeama.
To make matters worse their African opponents then took the lead. Emmanuel Emenike powered past his defender before setting up Peter Odemwingie to tap the ball beyond Asmir Begovic in the Bosnia goal. At least the two of them will be back sharing jokes later this summer when they return to training with Stoke!
Begovic produced further saves to keep his side in the game, but Bosnia couldn't make their chances count in their bid to find an equaliser. Dzeko headed straight at Enyeama before seeing another effort come off the goalkeeper's legs and onto a post. It really wasn't Dzeko's night!
Although England still have one game left to play, other sides are already starting to take focus for Three Lions fans. Whilst, we'd love our beloved nation to give us at least something to cheer about in the final game, we must move on! It is hard to know who is the underdog in our next game. We should be the favourites but, judging by the tournament so far, maybe we are in fact the underdogs against Costa Rica.
Despite our disappointment, it is still refreshing to see the likes of Costa Rica and Ghana causing upsets and from a neutral perspective this is still a great tournament. It would be rather fitting if an underdog was to win the competition but Brazil and Argentina are surely still the favourites, with Germany, Holland and France not too far behind.
Let the drama continue!
Come on the underdogs!
Saturday, 21 June 2014
Underdogs Costa Rica triumph again as England exit
Costa Rica have been a breath of fresh air this summer and continued to defy the odds after beating Italy 1-0 in Recife.
Even after the World Cup minnows claimed an impressive 3-1 win over Uruguay in their opening group game, few expected them to cause yet another upset.
England's World Cup hopes were already hanging by a thread after they failed to register a point in their opening two matches against Italy and Uruguay. But some fans remained optimistically hopeful, including myself, that we could still sneak into the knockout stages of the tournament.
If Italy gained an expected win over Costa Rica, it would set up a tense final round of matches in Group D. The chances of Italy winning seemed very high and many fans at least thought our fate wouldn't get decided for a further week.
But, not only did Costa Rica produce another shock result, it was also no fluke! Costa Rica fully deserved their win against a lacklustre Italy side whose performance left a lot to be desired.
From the first whistle until the last, Italy were truly woeful. Admittedly, we weren't great in our last match, but Italy's performance in Recife was arguably the worst performance by any side in Group D so far.
Mario Balotelli wasted a good chance for Italy when he missed with a lobbed effort before later forcing a save from Keylor Navas, but that's about as good as it got for Cesare Prandelli's men. Italy were nothing like the side who had beaten us in the opening group game. It was almost as if they had forgotten that they needed to get something out of this game, not just to help us, to ensure they would progress from Group D and not follow us on the plane home.
Costa Rica should have taken the lead when Joel Campbell, who is having a great tournament so far, was barged over in the box by Giorgio Chiellini. But Costa Rica got their just rewards soon after as Fulham striker Bryan Ruiz headed home a minute before half-time. It was a shock lead but a thoroughly deserved one for Ticos.
Italy forced another save from Navas and did have a few decent chances in the second half. But they really didn't live up to their favourites tag in this game as, apart from the odd glimpse, they didn't look like getting anything out of the game. Costa Rica really were good value for the win and, as an Arsenal fan, it was great to see Campbell looking so lively. Maybe, just maybe, he is ready for a regular place in the first-team squad next season, let's wait and see, but he has certainly impressed.
It is a truly remarkable story for Costa Rica and head coach Jorge Luis Pinto deserves huge credit for orchestrating wins over Uruguay and Italy and securing his side's place in the knockout stages of the tournament. Ticos had expected to be the whipping boys in Group D, with Italy, Uruguay and England set to battle it out for the top two spots. Instead Costa Rica have been by far the best team in the group and will be the ones in a happier mood when they play us next week.
For England, that result meant an early exit from the tournament and a now meaningless game, other than playing for pride, against Costa Rica. Before the tournament most people were saying we would struggle to get out of the group, so when we have done just that it seems slightly harsh to see some of the reactions coming out. Yes, it is truly gutting to be knocked out of the World Cup and it is simply not good enough! But, why be so harsh on the players, when in reality we didn't expect much more from them in the tough group we were drawn into.
Many will admit that the performance against Italy was actually better than expected and there were a lot of positive signs on show such as the performance of youngster Raheem Sterling. The performance against Uruguay was sub-standard compared to the previous game's. Any positives will be forgotten by many as the focus remains on the fact we failed to win either of our opening games and exited a World Cup in the group stages for the first time since 1958. Such a shame, but there is no point thinking about the what ifs. The reality is we are out! I'm usually all for being positive, and I can see some positives in individual performances, but collectively we weren't good enough.
You could argue that this World Cup has been full of surprises and, with holders Spain also exiting early, we shouldn't be too harsh on our beloved nation. But at the same time you can't hide behind the results and results say we didn't do well enough!
It would be easy to analyse England's World Cup performance further and to go in depth into every little detail, but I think we have to accept we just weren't good enough and ensure something is done about it to help us be better for the next major tournament.
Italy beating Costa Rica really did leave me feeling truly gutted, so much so that for the first time in this summer's tournament I didn't watch much of the remaining two games that day so had to instead reflect on the highlights.
I have been predicting games with a friend, taking it in turns to pick a team each per game, and I have been on the wrong end on most occasions. I had a good feeling about France getting far in the tournament and winning all their group games, yet for some reason I predicted Switzerland to get the points in their clash. Well, that backfired!
Two goals inside two minutes set France on their way to a 5-2 victory. Olivier Giroud powered in an unstoppable header after 17 minutes before Blaise Matuidi coolly slotted home from inside the box just 66 seconds later. Karim Benzema saw his penalty saved but there was still time for Les Bleus to find a third before the break. Giroud set up Mathieu Valbuena to score from close range.
After two goals in their opening group game against Honduras, Benzema continued his fine form with a clinical finish after 67 minutes before Moussa Sissoko completed the rout soon after. That was France's eighth goal of the tournament and if they keep up this clinical finishing maybe my prediction will be right and they will go a long way!
Despite being thumped by the French, Switzerland did manage to score a superb goal when Blerim Dzemaili drilled a long-range free-kick beyond Hugo Lloris with nine minutes remaining. Granit Xhaka latched onto a ball over the top before hitting it first time for a well taken goal to restore some pride for the Swiss.
It looked like France had added another with a top class goal from Benzema late on, only for it to be disallowed as the full-time whistle had already blown.
Many people have talked about Brazil and Argentina being among the favourites to win it, but France have quietly gone about their business and got the results needed and certainly can't be written off as possible winners this summer.
The defeat saw Switzerland drop into third place in Group E, ahead of the final round of matches, after their group rivals Ecuador claimed a 2-1 win over Honduras.
Honduras had done little to endear themselves to the neutrals with their somewhat aggressive approach in their defeat by France, but they took a shock lead shortly after the half hour mark in Curitiba. Carlo Costly latched on to a long clearance from his team-mate before controlling the ball and firing a shot beyond Alexander Dominguez in the Ecuador goal. But the lead didn't last long as a deflected cross allowed Enner Valencia to score with a simple finish from close range three minutes later.
Honduras almost regained the lead soon after but Costly's header was disallowed for an infringement. Costly's disallowed goal proved, well, costly for Honduras as Valencia's 65th-minute header gave Ecuador all three points and, more importantly second place in Group E.
Reflecting on the action the following day it is still hard to comprehend that we are out of the tournament and, even though it was what many realists expected, I am still truly gutted. Rather than dwell on it let's just hope the younger players gained some positives from the experience and can build on this in the next major tournament.
Roll on Euro 2016 in France! Who knows what will happen there!
QUE SERA SERA!
EN-GER-LAND!
Even after the World Cup minnows claimed an impressive 3-1 win over Uruguay in their opening group game, few expected them to cause yet another upset.
England's World Cup hopes were already hanging by a thread after they failed to register a point in their opening two matches against Italy and Uruguay. But some fans remained optimistically hopeful, including myself, that we could still sneak into the knockout stages of the tournament.
If Italy gained an expected win over Costa Rica, it would set up a tense final round of matches in Group D. The chances of Italy winning seemed very high and many fans at least thought our fate wouldn't get decided for a further week.
But, not only did Costa Rica produce another shock result, it was also no fluke! Costa Rica fully deserved their win against a lacklustre Italy side whose performance left a lot to be desired.
From the first whistle until the last, Italy were truly woeful. Admittedly, we weren't great in our last match, but Italy's performance in Recife was arguably the worst performance by any side in Group D so far.
Mario Balotelli wasted a good chance for Italy when he missed with a lobbed effort before later forcing a save from Keylor Navas, but that's about as good as it got for Cesare Prandelli's men. Italy were nothing like the side who had beaten us in the opening group game. It was almost as if they had forgotten that they needed to get something out of this game, not just to help us, to ensure they would progress from Group D and not follow us on the plane home.
Costa Rica should have taken the lead when Joel Campbell, who is having a great tournament so far, was barged over in the box by Giorgio Chiellini. But Costa Rica got their just rewards soon after as Fulham striker Bryan Ruiz headed home a minute before half-time. It was a shock lead but a thoroughly deserved one for Ticos.
Italy forced another save from Navas and did have a few decent chances in the second half. But they really didn't live up to their favourites tag in this game as, apart from the odd glimpse, they didn't look like getting anything out of the game. Costa Rica really were good value for the win and, as an Arsenal fan, it was great to see Campbell looking so lively. Maybe, just maybe, he is ready for a regular place in the first-team squad next season, let's wait and see, but he has certainly impressed.
It is a truly remarkable story for Costa Rica and head coach Jorge Luis Pinto deserves huge credit for orchestrating wins over Uruguay and Italy and securing his side's place in the knockout stages of the tournament. Ticos had expected to be the whipping boys in Group D, with Italy, Uruguay and England set to battle it out for the top two spots. Instead Costa Rica have been by far the best team in the group and will be the ones in a happier mood when they play us next week.
For England, that result meant an early exit from the tournament and a now meaningless game, other than playing for pride, against Costa Rica. Before the tournament most people were saying we would struggle to get out of the group, so when we have done just that it seems slightly harsh to see some of the reactions coming out. Yes, it is truly gutting to be knocked out of the World Cup and it is simply not good enough! But, why be so harsh on the players, when in reality we didn't expect much more from them in the tough group we were drawn into.
Many will admit that the performance against Italy was actually better than expected and there were a lot of positive signs on show such as the performance of youngster Raheem Sterling. The performance against Uruguay was sub-standard compared to the previous game's. Any positives will be forgotten by many as the focus remains on the fact we failed to win either of our opening games and exited a World Cup in the group stages for the first time since 1958. Such a shame, but there is no point thinking about the what ifs. The reality is we are out! I'm usually all for being positive, and I can see some positives in individual performances, but collectively we weren't good enough.
You could argue that this World Cup has been full of surprises and, with holders Spain also exiting early, we shouldn't be too harsh on our beloved nation. But at the same time you can't hide behind the results and results say we didn't do well enough!
It would be easy to analyse England's World Cup performance further and to go in depth into every little detail, but I think we have to accept we just weren't good enough and ensure something is done about it to help us be better for the next major tournament.
Italy beating Costa Rica really did leave me feeling truly gutted, so much so that for the first time in this summer's tournament I didn't watch much of the remaining two games that day so had to instead reflect on the highlights.
I have been predicting games with a friend, taking it in turns to pick a team each per game, and I have been on the wrong end on most occasions. I had a good feeling about France getting far in the tournament and winning all their group games, yet for some reason I predicted Switzerland to get the points in their clash. Well, that backfired!
Two goals inside two minutes set France on their way to a 5-2 victory. Olivier Giroud powered in an unstoppable header after 17 minutes before Blaise Matuidi coolly slotted home from inside the box just 66 seconds later. Karim Benzema saw his penalty saved but there was still time for Les Bleus to find a third before the break. Giroud set up Mathieu Valbuena to score from close range.
After two goals in their opening group game against Honduras, Benzema continued his fine form with a clinical finish after 67 minutes before Moussa Sissoko completed the rout soon after. That was France's eighth goal of the tournament and if they keep up this clinical finishing maybe my prediction will be right and they will go a long way!
Despite being thumped by the French, Switzerland did manage to score a superb goal when Blerim Dzemaili drilled a long-range free-kick beyond Hugo Lloris with nine minutes remaining. Granit Xhaka latched onto a ball over the top before hitting it first time for a well taken goal to restore some pride for the Swiss.
It looked like France had added another with a top class goal from Benzema late on, only for it to be disallowed as the full-time whistle had already blown.
Many people have talked about Brazil and Argentina being among the favourites to win it, but France have quietly gone about their business and got the results needed and certainly can't be written off as possible winners this summer.
The defeat saw Switzerland drop into third place in Group E, ahead of the final round of matches, after their group rivals Ecuador claimed a 2-1 win over Honduras.
Honduras had done little to endear themselves to the neutrals with their somewhat aggressive approach in their defeat by France, but they took a shock lead shortly after the half hour mark in Curitiba. Carlo Costly latched on to a long clearance from his team-mate before controlling the ball and firing a shot beyond Alexander Dominguez in the Ecuador goal. But the lead didn't last long as a deflected cross allowed Enner Valencia to score with a simple finish from close range three minutes later.
Honduras almost regained the lead soon after but Costly's header was disallowed for an infringement. Costly's disallowed goal proved, well, costly for Honduras as Valencia's 65th-minute header gave Ecuador all three points and, more importantly second place in Group E.
Reflecting on the action the following day it is still hard to comprehend that we are out of the tournament and, even though it was what many realists expected, I am still truly gutted. Rather than dwell on it let's just hope the younger players gained some positives from the experience and can build on this in the next major tournament.
Roll on Euro 2016 in France! Who knows what will happen there!
QUE SERA SERA!
EN-GER-LAND!
Friday, 20 June 2014
Super Suarez dents England hopes
Luis Suarez again proved his world class ability as his brace left England's World Cup hopes hanging by a thread.
There is no doubting the sheer skill of the man, although he has built up a bit of a reputation for some of his previous antics in the game, including a deliberate handball and biting an opponent.
I will be among those to admit that, when players with those kind of reputations, are involved in an incident your first reaction is usually to think they are in the wrong.
Suarez, who defied the odds to recover from a knee operation in time to play, had already given England a glimpse of what was to come when he headed Uruguay in front six minutes before half-time. At first when he scored, I was lambasting a clanger from Joe Hart in the England goal and couldn't believe he had not saved it. This was my patriotic passion coming to the fore, becoming frustrated at every little thing, so desperate was I to see England succeed. Hart maybe should have done slightly better but it wasn't the clanger I had first thought. This game really was getting the emotions flowing as we all wanted our World Cup campaign to continue for as long as possible.
England, who had shown a lot of positivity in their unlucky defeat by Italy, seemed to lack ideas at times in parts of the game. But they got back into the tie when good work from Daniel Sturridge released Glen Johnson, who slid the ball into Wayne Rooney to score from close range after 75 minutes. It was Rooney's first ever World Cup goal and it seemed to galvanise the side as Roy Hodgson's men upped their game and, at that point, looked the more likely to grab a winner.
But headline-maker Suarez was clinical once again when he latched on to goalkeeper Fernando Muslera's long punt up field to fire home in the closing minutes. On first viewing some England fans were convinced the goal was offside and, probably because of Suarez's reputation, were even more irritated by the decision to award the goal as they were convinced Suarez had "cheated" again. I was among that group and could not believe he had got away with it yet again.
When later reflecting on the game and seeing replays again, it turns out the long ball had been flicked on by the head of England skipper Steven Gerrard, and the frustratingly onside Suarez made no mistake as he coolly slotted the ball beyond Hart.
England were unable to find a response, leaving their World Cup hopes hanging by the thinnest of threads. It is strange to think we are playing better than we did in the last World Cup in 2010, but we are far worse off having yet to register a point in Brazil. But the crazy thing is that, unlike Spain, we are not out of the tournament just yet despite having lost both of our opening two group games.
If Costa Rica get anything out of their clash with Italy, England are out. But we can't think like that! Although this World Cup has been full of surprises, if Italy can get the result most people expect by beating Costa Rica, then England still have a glimmer of hope.
In that scenario, England would head into their final group game with Costa Rica knowing that if win, and Italy beat Uruguay, they could yet get out of Group D and into the knockout stages on goal different.
On the one hand, this seems unlikely and that to think of this possibility is clutching at straws. Then again, the reality of the situation is, Italy are more than capable of winning their remaining two games. If they do, we have to seriously up our game to beat Costa Rica and maybe, just maybe, we might be able to enjoy this World Cup for a little while longer.
No team has ever got out of the group stages after losing their opening two games, so come on boys, let's go write our own piece of history in the World Cup book.
For all the drama and disappointment of England's loss to Uruguay, fans could've been forgiven for forgetting there was another World Cup match televised later that evening. Fans deciding to stay up to watch the late game probably would've wished they'd not stayed awake an extra 90 minutes as neither Japan or Greece could be separated in a goalless draw.
The task got more difficult for Greece when their captain Konstantinos Katsouranis was sent off for a second bookable offence before half-time. But the Greeks didn't simply roll over and Japan goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima had to be alert on few occasions to keep them out. Japan couldn't find away past Orestis Kanezis either as both sides kept alive their chances of getting into the knockout stages, although Ivory Coast look more likely to be the ones progressing from Group C.
But the African side dropped points in their match following a 2-1 defeat by Colombia, which secured the South American's place in the knockout stages.
Teofilo Gutierrez really should have put Colombia ahead in the first half but he side-footed his effort horribly wrong, a truly embarrassing miss! But his blushes were spared after the restart as two goals in six minutes from James Rodriguez and substitute Juan Quintero put Colombia in control.
Gervinho gave Ivory Coast a lifeline when he danced past three defenders to score three minutes later, but Colombia held on for the win, leaving the African side with plenty work to do if they are to join their opponents in the round of 16.
The World Cup really is in full flow and the games I have seen as a neutral have been a pleasure to watch. It is just a shame that once again England have left me excited, nervous, frustrated and a whole host of other emotions and we still don't know our fate!
Although the tournament as a whole has been full of excitement and drama, many fans would probably admit that once their home nation is knocked out of a World Cup their own personal interest in the competition fizzles out a bit.
But let's hope this doesn't happen for England. As faint as our hopes may be considered to be let's not give up hope! Let's continue to back the boys and see what happens...you just never know!
QUE SERA SERA
EN-GER-LAND
There is no doubting the sheer skill of the man, although he has built up a bit of a reputation for some of his previous antics in the game, including a deliberate handball and biting an opponent.
I will be among those to admit that, when players with those kind of reputations, are involved in an incident your first reaction is usually to think they are in the wrong.
Suarez, who defied the odds to recover from a knee operation in time to play, had already given England a glimpse of what was to come when he headed Uruguay in front six minutes before half-time. At first when he scored, I was lambasting a clanger from Joe Hart in the England goal and couldn't believe he had not saved it. This was my patriotic passion coming to the fore, becoming frustrated at every little thing, so desperate was I to see England succeed. Hart maybe should have done slightly better but it wasn't the clanger I had first thought. This game really was getting the emotions flowing as we all wanted our World Cup campaign to continue for as long as possible.
England, who had shown a lot of positivity in their unlucky defeat by Italy, seemed to lack ideas at times in parts of the game. But they got back into the tie when good work from Daniel Sturridge released Glen Johnson, who slid the ball into Wayne Rooney to score from close range after 75 minutes. It was Rooney's first ever World Cup goal and it seemed to galvanise the side as Roy Hodgson's men upped their game and, at that point, looked the more likely to grab a winner.
But headline-maker Suarez was clinical once again when he latched on to goalkeeper Fernando Muslera's long punt up field to fire home in the closing minutes. On first viewing some England fans were convinced the goal was offside and, probably because of Suarez's reputation, were even more irritated by the decision to award the goal as they were convinced Suarez had "cheated" again. I was among that group and could not believe he had got away with it yet again.
When later reflecting on the game and seeing replays again, it turns out the long ball had been flicked on by the head of England skipper Steven Gerrard, and the frustratingly onside Suarez made no mistake as he coolly slotted the ball beyond Hart.
England were unable to find a response, leaving their World Cup hopes hanging by the thinnest of threads. It is strange to think we are playing better than we did in the last World Cup in 2010, but we are far worse off having yet to register a point in Brazil. But the crazy thing is that, unlike Spain, we are not out of the tournament just yet despite having lost both of our opening two group games.
If Costa Rica get anything out of their clash with Italy, England are out. But we can't think like that! Although this World Cup has been full of surprises, if Italy can get the result most people expect by beating Costa Rica, then England still have a glimmer of hope.
In that scenario, England would head into their final group game with Costa Rica knowing that if win, and Italy beat Uruguay, they could yet get out of Group D and into the knockout stages on goal different.
On the one hand, this seems unlikely and that to think of this possibility is clutching at straws. Then again, the reality of the situation is, Italy are more than capable of winning their remaining two games. If they do, we have to seriously up our game to beat Costa Rica and maybe, just maybe, we might be able to enjoy this World Cup for a little while longer.
No team has ever got out of the group stages after losing their opening two games, so come on boys, let's go write our own piece of history in the World Cup book.
For all the drama and disappointment of England's loss to Uruguay, fans could've been forgiven for forgetting there was another World Cup match televised later that evening. Fans deciding to stay up to watch the late game probably would've wished they'd not stayed awake an extra 90 minutes as neither Japan or Greece could be separated in a goalless draw.
The task got more difficult for Greece when their captain Konstantinos Katsouranis was sent off for a second bookable offence before half-time. But the Greeks didn't simply roll over and Japan goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima had to be alert on few occasions to keep them out. Japan couldn't find away past Orestis Kanezis either as both sides kept alive their chances of getting into the knockout stages, although Ivory Coast look more likely to be the ones progressing from Group C.
But the African side dropped points in their match following a 2-1 defeat by Colombia, which secured the South American's place in the knockout stages.
Teofilo Gutierrez really should have put Colombia ahead in the first half but he side-footed his effort horribly wrong, a truly embarrassing miss! But his blushes were spared after the restart as two goals in six minutes from James Rodriguez and substitute Juan Quintero put Colombia in control.
Gervinho gave Ivory Coast a lifeline when he danced past three defenders to score three minutes later, but Colombia held on for the win, leaving the African side with plenty work to do if they are to join their opponents in the round of 16.
The World Cup really is in full flow and the games I have seen as a neutral have been a pleasure to watch. It is just a shame that once again England have left me excited, nervous, frustrated and a whole host of other emotions and we still don't know our fate!
Although the tournament as a whole has been full of excitement and drama, many fans would probably admit that once their home nation is knocked out of a World Cup their own personal interest in the competition fizzles out a bit.
But let's hope this doesn't happen for England. As faint as our hopes may be considered to be let's not give up hope! Let's continue to back the boys and see what happens...you just never know!
QUE SERA SERA
EN-GER-LAND
Thursday, 19 June 2014
Pain for Spain
Holders Spain were humiliated after defeat to Chile saw them suffer an early exit from the 2014 World Cup.
Spain were among the favourites for the title and, even after a woeful 5-1 loss to Holland in their opening game, Vincent Del Bosque's men were expected to bounce back in their second match.
But it was not to be. Not only did they fail to qualify for the knockout stages with one game still left to play, but the manner of their performances was truly terrible.
After taking the lead against Holland things were looking good until a second-half collapse saw them on the wrong end of a hiding. But even that was seen as maybe just a bad day at the office and one they would recover from.
But there seemed to be no hunger or desire to come up with a top quality performance to erase the memory of the previous one. Spain really were struggling to create anything, it looked like the end of an era for what had been a dominant force in world football.
Spain really don't seem to have much luck in Brazil! The last time they conceded seven goals in two games at a World Cup was back in the 1950 tournament in, you guessed it, Brazil! On one level, it was horrible to see such a force capitulating before our very eyes but at the same time it was refreshing to see an underdog make them look so ordinary!
It seems the World Cup is difficult to retain. France won the tournament in 1998 before failing to get out the group stages in 2002. Italy failed in 2010 after their 2006 triumph and now Spain, who became the fifth defending champion to fail to progress from the group stage at the World Cup.
So, is the expectation of winning the title again and having to reach a certain stage becoming too much? I don't think so! But as every football fan knows, you can never underestimate an underdog and it is becoming more common than it was several years ago for a smaller side to be able to have a chance of getting a shock result.
But all the focus seems to be on Spain's downfall and the shock of them not even reaching the knockout stages, but let's give Chile credit. The South Americans fully deserved their 2-0 win and it was as equally about them playing well as it was about Spain underperforming.
When watching the highlights back, I had totally forgotten about Pedro's early effort for Spain, such was Chile's dominance in the game.
Slick passing from Chile set up Eduardo Vargas to open the scoring after 19 minutes but, even then, my head was telling me "Spain will pull a goal back, they'll be fine".
How wrong I was! Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who had a torrid time against Holland in the opening game, again took centre stage after his poor punch from Alexis Sanchez's free-kick allowed Charles Aranguiz to score a top goal with the outside of his foot.
Spain were 2-0 down and fighting to stay in the World Cup, or at least that's the reaction you would have expected. But they still didn't show any fight. At no point did they look like pulling a goal back, the holders looked totally helpless and exited the tournament with a whimper....and they still have a dead rubber against Australia left to play.
Disappointment for Spain but another game to add value to the argument that the 2014 tournament in Brazil could be the greatest World Cup.
The World Cup will now have new holders and there will be no victory song for Spain. There will also be no victory for Song in Cameroon either!
With the scores tight at 1-0 the Barcelona midfielder inexplicably elbowed the back of Mario Mandzukic, very idiotic and gave Cameroon a mountain to climb in a game they maybe could've got something out of. Song did later apologise for his actions but it was still a very stupid thing to have done in a big match on a global stage in front of a mass audience!
Ivan Perisic burst up field before firing home to double Croatia's lead within three minutes of the restart. Cameroon's fate was then all but sealed when Mandzukic's header put their opponents three goals to the good shortly after the hour mark.
Mandzukic tapped in a rebound to secure a 4-0 win for Croatia, leaving Cameroon to join Spain and Australia as teams failing to make it out of the group stages at this summer's World Cup.
As if the defeat wasn't bad enough, the problems mounted for Cameroon as two of their own players tussled with Benoit Assou-Ekotto headbutting team-mate Benjamin Moukandjo.
A World Cup is meant to be about nations coming together and uniting in their love of sport, not players from the same team turning on each other! It looked as if it would continue down the tunnel after the game but the experienced Samuel Eto'o tried to stand in the way.
Cameroon were never expected to do too much in their group, but this is certainly not the fashion in which they would want to be exiting the tournament (not that there is ever a good way). They will need to produce something special in their final group match against hosts Brazil if they are to redeem themselves following their nightmare night in Manaus.
But take nothing away from Croatia, they took their goals well and deserve to still be fighting for qualification into the knockout stages, with their match up against Mexico likely to decide who gets second place in Group A.
The group stages continue to get more exciting and it is almost time for the turn of England to kick start their tournament against a Uruguay side also hoping to bounce back from defeat.
It is going to be a hugely tough game and stopping Luis Suarez alone will be difficult but, if we can hit top form, we are capable of getting a result against the South Americans.
Our World Cup hangs in the balance and the next result will go a long way to deciding the fates of both sides in Group D but nothing is over yet! Let's get behind the boys and just wait and see what happens!
QUE SERA SERA
EN-GER-LAND
Spain were among the favourites for the title and, even after a woeful 5-1 loss to Holland in their opening game, Vincent Del Bosque's men were expected to bounce back in their second match.
But it was not to be. Not only did they fail to qualify for the knockout stages with one game still left to play, but the manner of their performances was truly terrible.
After taking the lead against Holland things were looking good until a second-half collapse saw them on the wrong end of a hiding. But even that was seen as maybe just a bad day at the office and one they would recover from.
But there seemed to be no hunger or desire to come up with a top quality performance to erase the memory of the previous one. Spain really were struggling to create anything, it looked like the end of an era for what had been a dominant force in world football.
Spain really don't seem to have much luck in Brazil! The last time they conceded seven goals in two games at a World Cup was back in the 1950 tournament in, you guessed it, Brazil! On one level, it was horrible to see such a force capitulating before our very eyes but at the same time it was refreshing to see an underdog make them look so ordinary!
It seems the World Cup is difficult to retain. France won the tournament in 1998 before failing to get out the group stages in 2002. Italy failed in 2010 after their 2006 triumph and now Spain, who became the fifth defending champion to fail to progress from the group stage at the World Cup.
So, is the expectation of winning the title again and having to reach a certain stage becoming too much? I don't think so! But as every football fan knows, you can never underestimate an underdog and it is becoming more common than it was several years ago for a smaller side to be able to have a chance of getting a shock result.
But all the focus seems to be on Spain's downfall and the shock of them not even reaching the knockout stages, but let's give Chile credit. The South Americans fully deserved their 2-0 win and it was as equally about them playing well as it was about Spain underperforming.
When watching the highlights back, I had totally forgotten about Pedro's early effort for Spain, such was Chile's dominance in the game.
Slick passing from Chile set up Eduardo Vargas to open the scoring after 19 minutes but, even then, my head was telling me "Spain will pull a goal back, they'll be fine".
How wrong I was! Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who had a torrid time against Holland in the opening game, again took centre stage after his poor punch from Alexis Sanchez's free-kick allowed Charles Aranguiz to score a top goal with the outside of his foot.
Spain were 2-0 down and fighting to stay in the World Cup, or at least that's the reaction you would have expected. But they still didn't show any fight. At no point did they look like pulling a goal back, the holders looked totally helpless and exited the tournament with a whimper....and they still have a dead rubber against Australia left to play.
Disappointment for Spain but another game to add value to the argument that the 2014 tournament in Brazil could be the greatest World Cup.
The World Cup will now have new holders and there will be no victory song for Spain. There will also be no victory for Song in Cameroon either!
With the scores tight at 1-0 the Barcelona midfielder inexplicably elbowed the back of Mario Mandzukic, very idiotic and gave Cameroon a mountain to climb in a game they maybe could've got something out of. Song did later apologise for his actions but it was still a very stupid thing to have done in a big match on a global stage in front of a mass audience!
Ivan Perisic burst up field before firing home to double Croatia's lead within three minutes of the restart. Cameroon's fate was then all but sealed when Mandzukic's header put their opponents three goals to the good shortly after the hour mark.
Mandzukic tapped in a rebound to secure a 4-0 win for Croatia, leaving Cameroon to join Spain and Australia as teams failing to make it out of the group stages at this summer's World Cup.
As if the defeat wasn't bad enough, the problems mounted for Cameroon as two of their own players tussled with Benoit Assou-Ekotto headbutting team-mate Benjamin Moukandjo.
A World Cup is meant to be about nations coming together and uniting in their love of sport, not players from the same team turning on each other! It looked as if it would continue down the tunnel after the game but the experienced Samuel Eto'o tried to stand in the way.
Cameroon were never expected to do too much in their group, but this is certainly not the fashion in which they would want to be exiting the tournament (not that there is ever a good way). They will need to produce something special in their final group match against hosts Brazil if they are to redeem themselves following their nightmare night in Manaus.
But take nothing away from Croatia, they took their goals well and deserve to still be fighting for qualification into the knockout stages, with their match up against Mexico likely to decide who gets second place in Group A.
The group stages continue to get more exciting and it is almost time for the turn of England to kick start their tournament against a Uruguay side also hoping to bounce back from defeat.
It is going to be a hugely tough game and stopping Luis Suarez alone will be difficult but, if we can hit top form, we are capable of getting a result against the South Americans.
Our World Cup hangs in the balance and the next result will go a long way to deciding the fates of both sides in Group D but nothing is over yet! Let's get behind the boys and just wait and see what happens!
QUE SERA SERA
EN-GER-LAND
Wednesday, 18 June 2014
Dutch courage sees off Aussies
Tim Cahill scored the goal of the tournament to date as a gutsy Australia came unstuck in a narrow 3-2 defeat by Holland.
If there was ever a game to epitomise what is great about a World Cup this was it. Great drama, top quality goals, end to end action and a mammoth effort by the underdogs as Australia came so close to causing a major shock at this summer's tournament.
When Arjen Robben raced clear to open the scoring after 20 minutes it looked like business as usual was on the cards and, if the Aussies weren't careful, they could be on the end of a hiding from the Dutch as per their group rivals Spain.
But just a minute later Cahill produced a worldy of a World Cup goal to not only wow the fans, but also wake his side up and cause them to make a real go of it for the rest of the match. A high ball flew into the box and Cahill met it with the sweetest of volleys to hammer the ball home. As Dan Walker, of the BBC, would say, what a thronker!
It was a truly world class goal by Cahill but the former Everton man picked up his second yellow card of the tournament and will unfortunately miss his country's final group match against Spain. If results go as expected it will be their last game of the World Cup in Brazil but, if it is, at least the midfielder bowed out in style.
The underdogs continued to press and caused a surprise to the Dutch fans, along with the neutrals, when they took the lead. The ball smacked against the hand of Daryl Janmaat and a penalty was given. Some would say it was harsh as the ball was hit at his hand but we've all seen them given before and that's what happened in this clash! Mile Jedinak slotted home the penalty to give Australia an unlikely lead. But before Australia had a chance to build momentum, Holland hit back with a leveller from the in-form Robin Van Persie inside four minutes. The Manchester United striker beat the offside trap before firing the ball beyond Matthew Ryan from close range.
Substitute Memphis Depay hit the decisive blow after 68 minutes when his long-range strike beat Ryan, who probably should've done better to cope with the shot. Although the goalkeeper could've probably prevented the goal it was unfair of the ITV commentary team to talk about two goalkeeping blunders in two days. Ryan should've done better to get to the shot but it was nothing compared to the error by his Russian counterpart Igor Akinfeev the previous day, which was far more of a blunder.
Holland held on for a narrow 3-2 win, which was far less convincing than the result many were expecting from this match. Australia put up a much stronger fight than the Dutch's previous opponents holders Spain and will count themselves unlucky not to come away with a point.
It will be a difficult result to take for Australia who have no points to show for two spirited performances, although mathematically they are still in with a slim shout of qualifying for the knockout stages. Holland, on the other hand, were not at their best this time around but still got the job done with maximum points and eight goals from their opening two games.
If the games continue in the same fashion this will truly be a World Cup to remember. Our beloved nation England may find themselves playing the part in another World Cup cracker when they play Uruguay in Sao Paulo.
England will need to find their own Cahill-like hero in front of goal, while the defence will also have to stay strong to keep out the dynamic duo of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.
Stopping Suarez is not an impossible task. For all his world class ability, he failed to score against any of the other sides in the top four of the Premier League last season. So can he score in the big games when it matters? We'll find out soon, but let's hope the likes of Phil Jagielka and Gary Cahill have games to remember and frustrate Uruguay's star man.
England can also take heart from the fact group minnows Costa Rica came from behind to secure a deserved 3-1 win against the South Americans. So, why can't we? I say we can, we are more than capable of getting a result, so here's hoping for one hell of a huge performance from the Three Lions.
QUE SERA SERA
EN-GER-LAND
If there was ever a game to epitomise what is great about a World Cup this was it. Great drama, top quality goals, end to end action and a mammoth effort by the underdogs as Australia came so close to causing a major shock at this summer's tournament.
When Arjen Robben raced clear to open the scoring after 20 minutes it looked like business as usual was on the cards and, if the Aussies weren't careful, they could be on the end of a hiding from the Dutch as per their group rivals Spain.
But just a minute later Cahill produced a worldy of a World Cup goal to not only wow the fans, but also wake his side up and cause them to make a real go of it for the rest of the match. A high ball flew into the box and Cahill met it with the sweetest of volleys to hammer the ball home. As Dan Walker, of the BBC, would say, what a thronker!
It was a truly world class goal by Cahill but the former Everton man picked up his second yellow card of the tournament and will unfortunately miss his country's final group match against Spain. If results go as expected it will be their last game of the World Cup in Brazil but, if it is, at least the midfielder bowed out in style.
The underdogs continued to press and caused a surprise to the Dutch fans, along with the neutrals, when they took the lead. The ball smacked against the hand of Daryl Janmaat and a penalty was given. Some would say it was harsh as the ball was hit at his hand but we've all seen them given before and that's what happened in this clash! Mile Jedinak slotted home the penalty to give Australia an unlikely lead. But before Australia had a chance to build momentum, Holland hit back with a leveller from the in-form Robin Van Persie inside four minutes. The Manchester United striker beat the offside trap before firing the ball beyond Matthew Ryan from close range.
Substitute Memphis Depay hit the decisive blow after 68 minutes when his long-range strike beat Ryan, who probably should've done better to cope with the shot. Although the goalkeeper could've probably prevented the goal it was unfair of the ITV commentary team to talk about two goalkeeping blunders in two days. Ryan should've done better to get to the shot but it was nothing compared to the error by his Russian counterpart Igor Akinfeev the previous day, which was far more of a blunder.
Holland held on for a narrow 3-2 win, which was far less convincing than the result many were expecting from this match. Australia put up a much stronger fight than the Dutch's previous opponents holders Spain and will count themselves unlucky not to come away with a point.
It will be a difficult result to take for Australia who have no points to show for two spirited performances, although mathematically they are still in with a slim shout of qualifying for the knockout stages. Holland, on the other hand, were not at their best this time around but still got the job done with maximum points and eight goals from their opening two games.
If the games continue in the same fashion this will truly be a World Cup to remember. Our beloved nation England may find themselves playing the part in another World Cup cracker when they play Uruguay in Sao Paulo.
England will need to find their own Cahill-like hero in front of goal, while the defence will also have to stay strong to keep out the dynamic duo of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.
Stopping Suarez is not an impossible task. For all his world class ability, he failed to score against any of the other sides in the top four of the Premier League last season. So can he score in the big games when it matters? We'll find out soon, but let's hope the likes of Phil Jagielka and Gary Cahill have games to remember and frustrate Uruguay's star man.
England can also take heart from the fact group minnows Costa Rica came from behind to secure a deserved 3-1 win against the South Americans. So, why can't we? I say we can, we are more than capable of getting a result, so here's hoping for one hell of a huge performance from the Three Lions.
QUE SERA SERA
EN-GER-LAND
Akinfeev-er almost costs Russia
A goalkeeping blunder ensured South Korea took a share of the spoils against Russia as the final teams completed their opening match of this summer's World Cup.
The group H clash was expected to be a tight affair so it was no surprise to see the score end 1-1 in Cuiaba.
Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, who was once linked with a move to Manchester United, is highly rated by many and once went over 350 minutes without conceding a goal in the Champions League - an impressive feat!
But he certainly did not cover himself in glory, spilling some of the shots that came his way before being at fault for the goal. Lee Keun-ho's long-range effort squirmed through the hands of Akinfeev to give South Korea the lead after 68 minutes.
Luckily for Akinfeev, substitute Aleksandr Kerzhakov spared his and Russia's blushes as a loose ball fell kindly to him to give him an easy finish.
Former England boss Fabio Capello probably wouldn't have been too disappointed to see his Russia side claim a point, but they will have to up their game against fellow European side Belgium as they continue their bid to qualify for the knockout stages.
So, with all the teams having played one game in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, what is the verdict so far?
I always look forward to any World Cup and this one has been no exception. Plenty of drama, entertainment, shocks, great football, silly errors and special moments already in the first week of the tournament.
After 12 games full of goals, there was finally a draw at the World Cup as neither Iran or Nigeria could find the net. There have only been two draws since as the tournament continues to deliver top quality entertainment.
The second round of games is where things really start to hot up as some side's know defeat could spell exit from the competition. If Cameroon lose their upcoming game against Croatia, they will be the first nation to crash out of the 2014 World Cup. There is no margin for error and nobody wants an early exit!
Our beloved England will be hoping to avoid just that when they take on Uruguay in a vital Group D clash. Both side's lost their opening group game and another defeat could mean an abrupt end in either's bid to qualify for the knockout stages.
Luis Suarez looks like he may be back to boost Uruguay's attacking options but we may still have a chance of beating them. If we can hit top form and, exploit the same weaknesses Costa Rica managed earlier in the competition, we are more than capable of getting the result.
We need 11 huge performances and we all need to get behind the boys and sing COME ON ENGLAND!
QUE SERA SERA
EN-GER-LAND
The group H clash was expected to be a tight affair so it was no surprise to see the score end 1-1 in Cuiaba.
Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, who was once linked with a move to Manchester United, is highly rated by many and once went over 350 minutes without conceding a goal in the Champions League - an impressive feat!
But he certainly did not cover himself in glory, spilling some of the shots that came his way before being at fault for the goal. Lee Keun-ho's long-range effort squirmed through the hands of Akinfeev to give South Korea the lead after 68 minutes.
Luckily for Akinfeev, substitute Aleksandr Kerzhakov spared his and Russia's blushes as a loose ball fell kindly to him to give him an easy finish.
Former England boss Fabio Capello probably wouldn't have been too disappointed to see his Russia side claim a point, but they will have to up their game against fellow European side Belgium as they continue their bid to qualify for the knockout stages.
So, with all the teams having played one game in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, what is the verdict so far?
I always look forward to any World Cup and this one has been no exception. Plenty of drama, entertainment, shocks, great football, silly errors and special moments already in the first week of the tournament.
After 12 games full of goals, there was finally a draw at the World Cup as neither Iran or Nigeria could find the net. There have only been two draws since as the tournament continues to deliver top quality entertainment.
The second round of games is where things really start to hot up as some side's know defeat could spell exit from the competition. If Cameroon lose their upcoming game against Croatia, they will be the first nation to crash out of the 2014 World Cup. There is no margin for error and nobody wants an early exit!
Our beloved England will be hoping to avoid just that when they take on Uruguay in a vital Group D clash. Both side's lost their opening group game and another defeat could mean an abrupt end in either's bid to qualify for the knockout stages.
Luis Suarez looks like he may be back to boost Uruguay's attacking options but we may still have a chance of beating them. If we can hit top form and, exploit the same weaknesses Costa Rica managed earlier in the competition, we are more than capable of getting the result.
We need 11 huge performances and we all need to get behind the boys and sing COME ON ENGLAND!
QUE SERA SERA
EN-GER-LAND
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